- Email: [email protected]
Evaluation of the automatic analyser hitachi 705
1982 CSCC ABSTRACTS levels of diabetic patients. Only in a few cases of uncontrolled diabetes did preincubacion have any effect on glyeosylated hemoglobin levels. We conclude that t i l e electrophoretic method for measurement is as precise (p >0.051 as the column and chemical methods, and correlates well with these methods. Due to less interferences resulting from temperature and buffer pH fluctuations as well as being less technically demanding, electrophoretic determination of glycosylated hemoglobins is the method Of choice.
55
USE OF CRESOLPi~HALEIN COMPLEXONE TO I.IEASURE CALCIUM WITH TIIE GREINER SELECTIVE ANALYZER, GSA liD. Cherian,A.G. and Ilill,J.G., Serviee Division, Department of Biochemistry, Hospital For Sick Children and Clinical Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario MbG Ixa.
We have developed macro and micro methods for t h e measurement of ¢alciu~ with the GSA IID, usi~j cresolphthalein complexone (CPC). We prepare CPC and diethylamine reagents as published previously (BaginskJ,E.S., et el, 1973, Clin.Chim.Acta, 46, 49). By using disod ium EDTA reagent, a complete sample and reagent blank is provided. For the macro procedure we use II0 ~*I of sample: 90 ~I for sample cup dead space, and IO Ill each for 'blank' and 'test'. The method is linear to 3.75 Limol/L, and the following precision data were obtained: within-day, CVs of 1.4 and 2.0 per cent at 2.05 and 2.32 ~ o I / L respectively; between-day, CVs of 2.3, 1.9 and 1.6 per cent at 1.75, 2.55 and 3.05 mmol/L respectively. Comparison between the GSA and AutmAnalyzer procednres (Cherian,A.G. and HilI,J.G., 1978, Amer.J.Clin. Pathol., 69, 24), showed a correlation coefficient of 0.976, slope of 0.897, and intercept of 0.20~=nol/L. For the micro methed we rmake a 12-fold dilution Of Sample, which permits the use Of the equivalent oi only 5 L*I Of sample for each Of 'blank' and 'test', and 8 tJl for sample cup dead space. The micro method is also linear to 3.75 mmol/L, and showed the following precision: within-day, O]s of 1.4 and i.i pe r cent at 1.86 and 2.60 mmol/L respectively; between-day, CVS of 2.1 and I.I per cent at 1.80 and 3.28 mmol/L respectively. Turbidity, hemolysis, bilirubin, inorganic phosphate and magnesium do not interfere with the method. In practice, we perform all calcium measurements in duplicate, and report the mean result if the difference between duplicates is 0.15 ~,ol/L or less. If tlle difference is larger (approximately g per cent of samples] we repeat the measurements.
56 MICROMETI|OD FOR THE MEASURF~IENT OF SERUM BILIRUBIN WITH TIIE GREINER SELECTIVE AMALYZER, GSA IID, AND COb~ARISON WITH TIlE A.O. BILIRUEINOMETER METHOD. Cherian,A.G. and Hill, J.G., Service Division, Department of 8iochen~stry, Hospital For Sick Children and Clinical Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5G IXB. Measurement of serum bilirubin concentration is important in new-born infants who run the risk of developing kernicterus. Because of the small volume of blood that may be drawn from these infants, we have developed a micromethod employing the Jendrassik-Grof procedure with the Greiner Selective Analyzer GSA lID (Cherian,A.G., Soldin,S.J. and HilI,J.G., (1981) Clin. Chem., 27, 748). %A4enty microliters Of serum diluted 12 times with deionized water are required for the measurement. The method is linear to 684 umol/L and the results o f precision studies are shown in the Table. Turbidity does not interfere with the measurement. At a bilirubin level of 45 umol/L, hemolysis up to a plasma hemoglobin concentration of 16 gm/L has no effect. At a bilirubin level of 207 ~moi/L, plasma hemoglobin of 8 and 16 gm/L lead to an apparent increase in bilirubin by 3 and 9 per cent respectively. Comparison of results on 70 patients' sere with those obtained with the A.O. Silirublnometer showed a correlation coefficient of 0.97 with a slope of 0.98 and an intercept of 7.6 pmol/L. The method is reliable and is suitable for infants. Within-run ~mol/L CV%
n
Between-day umOI/L CV%
99 ] P l l
ally varied to test the sensitivity of the measurement to operator error. Reference values were obtained on the same sample, or one taken at the same time, using a Beckman ASTRA. In the range 4-20 mmol/L both systems produced similar results exhibiting a proportional e[ror, with slope
58
PRELIMINARY EVALUA'rlON OF THE IL 504 ELECTROLYTE ANALYZER
Maskell, A.L., Oommen, B.P., and MacRae, A.R., Department of Laboratory Medicine, St. Boniface General Hospital, Winnipeg, Manitoba.
t4e assessed the performance of an automated, multichannel microprocessor-controlled electrolyte analyzer, the IL 504, (IL International Canada Ltd.) which incorporetps Ion-selective electrodes for indirect Na÷ and K+, a mercuric thlocyanate reaction for CI-, and a modified Van Slyke method for total CO 2. Downtime, when judged excessive, was related to unforeseen requirements for routine maintenance~ or lack of local availability of replacement parts. ~laintenance procedures averaged ½ hour per day. Between-day coefficients of variation were ~ |% for Na+, K+ & CI-, and 6.e% for total CO 2 (n=20). Serum sample correlations with a flame photometer and an Auto Analyzer II yielded the following slopes: Na+ 1.0105; K+ 0.065&; total CO 2 0.9732 (n=50). ]nitial CI- correlations demonstrated a positive absolute bias of 3.7 mmol/L when using IL's stated standard values; decreasing the standard values appropriately yielded a correlation with a slepe of 0.992]. Ion-selective electrodes resulted in the same values as flame photometry in the presence of 1~emolysls up to 3 g/L. Blight carryover was noted in the urine K+ mode only (1.4%). Recoveries of NA +, K+ and CI- ranged from 97.6 to ]01.4%; recovery of total CO 2 was 96.0 to 102.4%. Linearity met or exceeded the manufacturer's specifications in all channels. Required dead space in a 250 uL cup was 120 uL, and evaporation from the same size cups for Na +, g+ and CI- was 5% over 60 minutes. For 100 samples, discrete test programming by rack required 5 minutes; progra,~,Ing by cup, with individual patient identification required 30 minutes. The total cost per sample for all constituents was less than $0.07.
59
THE CREINER G-300 SELECTIVE ANALYZER - AN EVALUATION Wearne~ J. and Aggarwal, M., Biochemistry Department, Sunnybrook Medical Centre, Toronto, Ontario. M4N 3 ~ .
This instrument is basically similar to the Greiner GSA but is electronically rather than mechanically controlled, is more compact and uses lass reagent. Glucose, Drear]nine, calcium,phosphate, bilirubin, protein, albumin, AST and ALP are run routinely, ALT and uric acid are on trial, and ene more test could be added (we do not do electrolytes). Linearity accuracy and precision are generally satisfactory e.g. monthly CVs range from 1.2% for Ca to 7% for AST (at a midnormal level).
n
95
2.5
20
20
14.7
24
349
1.9
20
92
3.4
24
3,19
3.4
24
Home-made reagents are used for all tests except AST; volumes are usually 1.0 - 1.5 ml/test. Data on other running costs are still being collected, the tentative estimate being 4 cents per test. Maximum sampling rate is 5 tests per minute. In our setting 40 patients per hour can he tested without stress. Results print out 15 minutes after sampling.
57 EVALUATION OF TWO REFLECTANCE METER SYST~IS FOR MEASUREMENT OF P b % S ~ GLUCOSE CONCENTRATION, Dalton, J., Krahn, J., and MacLeod, B., Dept. of Clinical Chemistry, Health Sciences Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3E OZ3 A number of instruments are being marketed to measure plasma glucose concentrations in the home or at the patient's bedside. We have undertaken an evaluation of two of these instruments, the Ames "Glucometer", which uses Ames "Dextrostix", and the "Reflomat" and "Reflotest" strips marketed by Boehringer Nannheim Canada, Ltd.. Both systems were used in accordance with the manufacturers directions, except where parameters were intention-
60
EVALUATION OF THE AUTOMATIC ANALYSER HITACHI 705
Jean-Claude Forest et Pierre Douville, Service de biochlmie, hapltal Saint-Fran~ois-d'Asslse, QUEBEC, Canada CiL 3L5 We evaluated a new discrete analyser, the Hitachi 705 (Boehrlnger Mannheim of Canada, Dorval Quebec). The instrument can process sequentially up to 16 different enzymes and chemistries, plus Na, K, C1 with a maximal throughput of 180 tests per hour. Several features were evaluated including the spectrophotometer, the sample and reagents probes as well as the performance for ii
100 / P12
1982 CSCC A B S T R A C T S
chemistries : CK, ALT, A L P , ~ - G T , amylase, glucose, BUN, creatlaine, albumin, calcium and phosphorus. Solutions of potassium dichromate were used to assess linearlty and precision of the photometer and the reagents probes. All reagents and procedures for the ii chemistries were those of Boehrlnger Mannhelm except creatinlne for which we used our ow~ reagents. Control sere at three levels were assayed for precision study in triplicate for 20 days after calibration. These sere were also used every day as "stat specimen" to evaluate the stability of the calibration. Summary of the study on total imprecision to day component of imprecision) : Photometer (6 levels) : Serum probe (5 to 20 ~ i ) : Reagents probes (50 to 350 jul) : Enzymatic procedures : End point and first order kinetics
0.14 0.4 0.3 2.0 1.0
(withln-run CV (%) to to to to to
plus day
0.4 1.0 1.2 8.0 4.0
Excellent linsarity was obtained for each test in the proposed range. Comparison studies (100 sera for each test) demonstrated good correlation with the S ~ 6 (Technlcon) for BUN, glucose and ereatlnlne and with the Abbott VP for the other tests. Reliability and practJcabillty of the instrument permitted its successful implementation in our hospital (600 beds).
61 EVALUATION OF NEONATAL BILIRUBIN ASSAYS ON THE A ~ S SERALYZER. Harding, R., Virapen, K., O'Brien, P., Biochemistry Dept., Etobicoke General Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, M9V 1R8. The "Ames" Seralyzer (SER) is a novel, discrete dry chemistry analyzer utilizing reflectance spectrophotometry and plastic strips to which is affixed a paper pad impregnated with the necessary reagents. A number of assays are currently available employing both end-point and kinetic measurements. The neonatal billrubln assay is based upon the colour formation between bilirubin and 2,4 - dichloroaniline in the presence of dyphilline and p-Toluene sulphonic a c i d . We compared this assay against our routine spectrophotometric method (SPM), (Tietz, 2nd° Ed.) and automated colorimetric (ACM) procedure on the Abbott VP Analyzer (SKI - "Spin Chem"). The following tables summarize results obtained (pmols/L): Regression Equation r x y p SPM vs SER y = i.i0 x + 0.02 135 0--97 lS--~ 16---~ < o. 01 ACM vs SER y = 0.92 x + 0.95 147 0.95 168 166 > 0.01 Between run precisions: Control I (82 umols/L) Control II (341 ~mols/L) -
Method n mean SD CV,% mean SD CV,% SER ~3 75 1.7 2.27 327 11.5 3.5 BPM 43 83 2.2 2.71 348 6.7 1.9 A~d 43 87 6.8 7.87 341 7.5 2.2 These indicated a positive bias of approximately 17 ~mols/L. with the seralyzer when compared to the spectrophotometric method but no significant difference between the seralyzer and automated colorimetrie method. In conclusion, the seralyzer represents a semi-automated and precise system for neonatal bilirubin assays that compares favourably with a standard automated colorimetric technique, thus providing a n acceptable alternative to the spectrophotometric method.
62
LAB-ACE: A DISTRIBUTED MICROPROCESSOR-BASED LABORATORY COMPUTER SYSTEM. McNeely, M.D.D., Lane, C., Morgan, E., and Pearce, D.A., Island Medical Laboratories, 4489 Viewmont Ave., Victoria, B.C. V8Z 5K8
A laboratory data management system based on distributed microprocessor hardware has been developed. An A.C.E. Discovery Microprocessor provides each Televldeo 950 terminal in the configuration with a dedicated 64K RAM. Epson MX-80FT printers are available to each terminal and Ahearn and Soper Multiwriters (TM) and Bausch & Lomb HIPLOT DMP multicolour X-Y plotters are used for report generation. All users may communicate with one another and may share files and programmes stored on a 33 MB Hard Disk with 12 MB Cartridge Tape Disk backup. Equipment interfaces are accomplished using an RS422 DPSIO board. The cost of the central service processor and disks is $16,000. User terminals (including dedicated 64K RAM, CRT, keyboard and printer) cost $4500 each. Programmes are written in Microsoft BASIC using a CP/M operating system. This allows access to a vast selection of commercially available software. LAB-ACE employs DBABE li, a powerful but inexpensive ($875] data base to manage patient/ test files. Features of the system are: (i) a complete lab inventory system, (2) a limited microbiology system, (3) word processing, (4) clinical chemist's/clinical pathologist's data bank on test interpretation, !5) full use of LABDOC (an interpretive reporting system), (6) permanent storage of unusual patient results, and (7) multJcolour graphic plots for internal and external reports. it is shown that distributed mlcroprocessors can be used successfully to support a complete laboratory computer system at far less cost and much greater ease than conventional approaches.
55
USE OF CRESOLPi~HALEIN COMPLEXONE TO I.IEASURE CALCIUM WITH TIIE GREINER SELECTIVE ANALYZER, GSA liD. Cherian,A.G. and Ilill,J.G., Serviee Division, Department of Biochemistry, Hospital For Sick Children and Clinical Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario MbG Ixa.
We have developed macro and micro methods for t h e measurement of ¢alciu~ with the GSA IID, usi~j cresolphthalein complexone (CPC). We prepare CPC and diethylamine reagents as published previously (BaginskJ,E.S., et el, 1973, Clin.Chim.Acta, 46, 49). By using disod ium EDTA reagent, a complete sample and reagent blank is provided. For the macro procedure we use II0 ~*I of sample: 90 ~I for sample cup dead space, and IO Ill each for 'blank' and 'test'. The method is linear to 3.75 Limol/L, and the following precision data were obtained: within-day, CVs of 1.4 and 2.0 per cent at 2.05 and 2.32 ~ o I / L respectively; between-day, CVs of 2.3, 1.9 and 1.6 per cent at 1.75, 2.55 and 3.05 mmol/L respectively. Comparison between the GSA and AutmAnalyzer procednres (Cherian,A.G. and HilI,J.G., 1978, Amer.J.Clin. Pathol., 69, 24), showed a correlation coefficient of 0.976, slope of 0.897, and intercept of 0.20~=nol/L. For the micro methed we rmake a 12-fold dilution Of Sample, which permits the use Of the equivalent oi only 5 L*I Of sample for each Of 'blank' and 'test', and 8 tJl for sample cup dead space. The micro method is also linear to 3.75 mmol/L, and showed the following precision: within-day, O]s of 1.4 and i.i pe r cent at 1.86 and 2.60 mmol/L respectively; between-day, CVS of 2.1 and I.I per cent at 1.80 and 3.28 mmol/L respectively. Turbidity, hemolysis, bilirubin, inorganic phosphate and magnesium do not interfere with the method. In practice, we perform all calcium measurements in duplicate, and report the mean result if the difference between duplicates is 0.15 ~,ol/L or less. If tlle difference is larger (approximately g per cent of samples] we repeat the measurements.
56 MICROMETI|OD FOR THE MEASURF~IENT OF SERUM BILIRUBIN WITH TIIE GREINER SELECTIVE AMALYZER, GSA IID, AND COb~ARISON WITH TIlE A.O. BILIRUEINOMETER METHOD. Cherian,A.G. and Hill, J.G., Service Division, Department of 8iochen~stry, Hospital For Sick Children and Clinical Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5G IXB. Measurement of serum bilirubin concentration is important in new-born infants who run the risk of developing kernicterus. Because of the small volume of blood that may be drawn from these infants, we have developed a micromethod employing the Jendrassik-Grof procedure with the Greiner Selective Analyzer GSA lID (Cherian,A.G., Soldin,S.J. and HilI,J.G., (1981) Clin. Chem., 27, 748). %A4enty microliters Of serum diluted 12 times with deionized water are required for the measurement. The method is linear to 684 umol/L and the results o f precision studies are shown in the Table. Turbidity does not interfere with the measurement. At a bilirubin level of 45 umol/L, hemolysis up to a plasma hemoglobin concentration of 16 gm/L has no effect. At a bilirubin level of 207 ~moi/L, plasma hemoglobin of 8 and 16 gm/L lead to an apparent increase in bilirubin by 3 and 9 per cent respectively. Comparison of results on 70 patients' sere with those obtained with the A.O. Silirublnometer showed a correlation coefficient of 0.97 with a slope of 0.98 and an intercept of 7.6 pmol/L. The method is reliable and is suitable for infants. Within-run ~mol/L CV%
n
Between-day umOI/L CV%
99 ] P l l
ally varied to test the sensitivity of the measurement to operator error. Reference values were obtained on the same sample, or one taken at the same time, using a Beckman ASTRA. In the range 4-20 mmol/L both systems produced similar results exhibiting a proportional e[ror, with slope
58
PRELIMINARY EVALUA'rlON OF THE IL 504 ELECTROLYTE ANALYZER
Maskell, A.L., Oommen, B.P., and MacRae, A.R., Department of Laboratory Medicine, St. Boniface General Hospital, Winnipeg, Manitoba.
t4e assessed the performance of an automated, multichannel microprocessor-controlled electrolyte analyzer, the IL 504, (IL International Canada Ltd.) which incorporetps Ion-selective electrodes for indirect Na÷ and K+, a mercuric thlocyanate reaction for CI-, and a modified Van Slyke method for total CO 2. Downtime, when judged excessive, was related to unforeseen requirements for routine maintenance~ or lack of local availability of replacement parts. ~laintenance procedures averaged ½ hour per day. Between-day coefficients of variation were ~ |% for Na+, K+ & CI-, and 6.e% for total CO 2 (n=20). Serum sample correlations with a flame photometer and an Auto Analyzer II yielded the following slopes: Na+ 1.0105; K+ 0.065&; total CO 2 0.9732 (n=50). ]nitial CI- correlations demonstrated a positive absolute bias of 3.7 mmol/L when using IL's stated standard values; decreasing the standard values appropriately yielded a correlation with a slepe of 0.992]. Ion-selective electrodes resulted in the same values as flame photometry in the presence of 1~emolysls up to 3 g/L. Blight carryover was noted in the urine K+ mode only (1.4%). Recoveries of NA +, K+ and CI- ranged from 97.6 to ]01.4%; recovery of total CO 2 was 96.0 to 102.4%. Linearity met or exceeded the manufacturer's specifications in all channels. Required dead space in a 250 uL cup was 120 uL, and evaporation from the same size cups for Na +, g+ and CI- was 5% over 60 minutes. For 100 samples, discrete test programming by rack required 5 minutes; progra,~,Ing by cup, with individual patient identification required 30 minutes. The total cost per sample for all constituents was less than $0.07.
59
THE CREINER G-300 SELECTIVE ANALYZER - AN EVALUATION Wearne~ J. and Aggarwal, M., Biochemistry Department, Sunnybrook Medical Centre, Toronto, Ontario. M4N 3 ~ .
This instrument is basically similar to the Greiner GSA but is electronically rather than mechanically controlled, is more compact and uses lass reagent. Glucose, Drear]nine, calcium,phosphate, bilirubin, protein, albumin, AST and ALP are run routinely, ALT and uric acid are on trial, and ene more test could be added (we do not do electrolytes). Linearity accuracy and precision are generally satisfactory e.g. monthly CVs range from 1.2% for Ca to 7% for AST (at a midnormal level).
n
95
2.5
20
20
14.7
24
349
1.9
20
92
3.4
24
3,19
3.4
24
Home-made reagents are used for all tests except AST; volumes are usually 1.0 - 1.5 ml/test. Data on other running costs are still being collected, the tentative estimate being 4 cents per test. Maximum sampling rate is 5 tests per minute. In our setting 40 patients per hour can he tested without stress. Results print out 15 minutes after sampling.
57 EVALUATION OF TWO REFLECTANCE METER SYST~IS FOR MEASUREMENT OF P b % S ~ GLUCOSE CONCENTRATION, Dalton, J., Krahn, J., and MacLeod, B., Dept. of Clinical Chemistry, Health Sciences Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3E OZ3 A number of instruments are being marketed to measure plasma glucose concentrations in the home or at the patient's bedside. We have undertaken an evaluation of two of these instruments, the Ames "Glucometer", which uses Ames "Dextrostix", and the "Reflomat" and "Reflotest" strips marketed by Boehringer Nannheim Canada, Ltd.. Both systems were used in accordance with the manufacturers directions, except where parameters were intention-
60
EVALUATION OF THE AUTOMATIC ANALYSER HITACHI 705
Jean-Claude Forest et Pierre Douville, Service de biochlmie, hapltal Saint-Fran~ois-d'Asslse, QUEBEC, Canada CiL 3L5 We evaluated a new discrete analyser, the Hitachi 705 (Boehrlnger Mannheim of Canada, Dorval Quebec). The instrument can process sequentially up to 16 different enzymes and chemistries, plus Na, K, C1 with a maximal throughput of 180 tests per hour. Several features were evaluated including the spectrophotometer, the sample and reagents probes as well as the performance for ii
100 / P12
1982 CSCC A B S T R A C T S
chemistries : CK, ALT, A L P , ~ - G T , amylase, glucose, BUN, creatlaine, albumin, calcium and phosphorus. Solutions of potassium dichromate were used to assess linearlty and precision of the photometer and the reagents probes. All reagents and procedures for the ii chemistries were those of Boehrlnger Mannhelm except creatinlne for which we used our ow~ reagents. Control sere at three levels were assayed for precision study in triplicate for 20 days after calibration. These sere were also used every day as "stat specimen" to evaluate the stability of the calibration. Summary of the study on total imprecision to day component of imprecision) : Photometer (6 levels) : Serum probe (5 to 20 ~ i ) : Reagents probes (50 to 350 jul) : Enzymatic procedures : End point and first order kinetics
0.14 0.4 0.3 2.0 1.0
(withln-run CV (%) to to to to to
plus day
0.4 1.0 1.2 8.0 4.0
Excellent linsarity was obtained for each test in the proposed range. Comparison studies (100 sera for each test) demonstrated good correlation with the S ~ 6 (Technlcon) for BUN, glucose and ereatlnlne and with the Abbott VP for the other tests. Reliability and practJcabillty of the instrument permitted its successful implementation in our hospital (600 beds).
61 EVALUATION OF NEONATAL BILIRUBIN ASSAYS ON THE A ~ S SERALYZER. Harding, R., Virapen, K., O'Brien, P., Biochemistry Dept., Etobicoke General Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, M9V 1R8. The "Ames" Seralyzer (SER) is a novel, discrete dry chemistry analyzer utilizing reflectance spectrophotometry and plastic strips to which is affixed a paper pad impregnated with the necessary reagents. A number of assays are currently available employing both end-point and kinetic measurements. The neonatal billrubln assay is based upon the colour formation between bilirubin and 2,4 - dichloroaniline in the presence of dyphilline and p-Toluene sulphonic a c i d . We compared this assay against our routine spectrophotometric method (SPM), (Tietz, 2nd° Ed.) and automated colorimetric (ACM) procedure on the Abbott VP Analyzer (SKI - "Spin Chem"). The following tables summarize results obtained (pmols/L): Regression Equation r x y p SPM vs SER y = i.i0 x + 0.02 135 0--97 lS--~ 16---~ < o. 01 ACM vs SER y = 0.92 x + 0.95 147 0.95 168 166 > 0.01 Between run precisions: Control I (82 umols/L) Control II (341 ~mols/L) -
Method n mean SD CV,% mean SD CV,% SER ~3 75 1.7 2.27 327 11.5 3.5 BPM 43 83 2.2 2.71 348 6.7 1.9 A~d 43 87 6.8 7.87 341 7.5 2.2 These indicated a positive bias of approximately 17 ~mols/L. with the seralyzer when compared to the spectrophotometric method but no significant difference between the seralyzer and automated colorimetrie method. In conclusion, the seralyzer represents a semi-automated and precise system for neonatal bilirubin assays that compares favourably with a standard automated colorimetric technique, thus providing a n acceptable alternative to the spectrophotometric method.
62
LAB-ACE: A DISTRIBUTED MICROPROCESSOR-BASED LABORATORY COMPUTER SYSTEM. McNeely, M.D.D., Lane, C., Morgan, E., and Pearce, D.A., Island Medical Laboratories, 4489 Viewmont Ave., Victoria, B.C. V8Z 5K8
A laboratory data management system based on distributed microprocessor hardware has been developed. An A.C.E. Discovery Microprocessor provides each Televldeo 950 terminal in the configuration with a dedicated 64K RAM. Epson MX-80FT printers are available to each terminal and Ahearn and Soper Multiwriters (TM) and Bausch & Lomb HIPLOT DMP multicolour X-Y plotters are used for report generation. All users may communicate with one another and may share files and programmes stored on a 33 MB Hard Disk with 12 MB Cartridge Tape Disk backup. Equipment interfaces are accomplished using an RS422 DPSIO board. The cost of the central service processor and disks is $16,000. User terminals (including dedicated 64K RAM, CRT, keyboard and printer) cost $4500 each. Programmes are written in Microsoft BASIC using a CP/M operating system. This allows access to a vast selection of commercially available software. LAB-ACE employs DBABE li, a powerful but inexpensive ($875] data base to manage patient/ test files. Features of the system are: (i) a complete lab inventory system, (2) a limited microbiology system, (3) word processing, (4) clinical chemist's/clinical pathologist's data bank on test interpretation, !5) full use of LABDOC (an interpretive reporting system), (6) permanent storage of unusual patient results, and (7) multJcolour graphic plots for internal and external reports. it is shown that distributed mlcroprocessors can be used successfully to support a complete laboratory computer system at far less cost and much greater ease than conventional approaches.